The necessity to protect ships and boats from the influence of waves, when moored in harbors and marinas, is evident. To transform an open bay or the like into a sheltered harbor, floating breakwaters are often used.
In order for such a breakwater to operate satisfactorily, it is necessary that it has a slow roll and a low heave.
The speed of the prevailing wind at the selected location, and the free distance during which the wind may act upon the surface of the water, will determine the wave height and the wave length, i.e., the frequency of the waves acting upon the breakwater.
With a sufficiently large structure in relation to the frequency of the waves, the breakwater will be largely unaffected by the waves. Such a structure, however, is expensive to manufacture and to transport to the location of its intended use. Instead, the breakwater is composed of a number of units, which can be linked together. This is often done by means of short lengths of chain, which will provide for limited possible movement between the individual units, which means a somewhat slighter dampening action than would have been provided by a single unitary breakwater body, and which also creates a risk of collision damages.
An object of the present invention is thus to propose means for interconnecting individual units of a floating structure such as a breakwater in such a manner that it will act as a unitary structure.